Heel Structure with Adjustable Height

ABSTRACT

A heel structure with an adjustable height includes a support rod, adjustment rod, and retractable element. The support rod is penetrated by a through hole. Tracks and engaging grooves are disposed on the wall of the through hole. The engaging grooves are in communication with the tracks and run horizontally. The adjustment rod penetrates the through hole and undergoes displacement. Resilient engaging bumps are disposed above the adjustment rod and thus resiliently pressed within the tracks. The tracks abut against the engaging bumps such that the engaging bumps retract. The retractable element is rotated such that circular pipes of different diameters decreasing downward and stepwise are fitted together so as to be folded and unfolded. A hollow-core mounting region is defined centrally at the circular pipes. A fitting hole is disposed at the lowest circular pipe and fixedly disposed on an outer wall of the bottom of the adjustment rod.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a heel structure with an adjustable height, fitted to a shoe body such that a user can adjust the height of the shoe body immediately and easily.

DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART

High-heeled shoes make female wearers attending fashionable events or banquets look elegant and charming. However, when the events or banquets end, the female wearers either have to endure foot pain during a homebound journey or cannot wait to change to comfortable shoes. They may even choose to hold the high heeled shoes by hand while walking home with bare feet. In view of the aforesaid drawback, the prior art discloses heels with different heights and in different shapes such that a shoe can change from heel to heel. The prior art, however, requires high-heeled shoe wearers to purchase heels of all heights and shapes by one-stop shopping in order to change the height of shoes. Furthermore, a high-heeled shoe wearer has to put all the heels in a handbag, and carrying around the handbag with the heels therein is inconvenient, not to mention that small handbags are useless for this purpose. Moreover, by the time the event or banquet ends, heels in use during the event or banquet have gotten dirty, and in consequence the wearer has to wrap the dirty heels in bags and then put the wrapped, dirty heels in the handbag for fear that the dirty heels will smear the lining of the handbag. Furthermore, every heel thus purchased is a match for some, rather than all, shoes, because color matters; to this end, every wearer keeps an extravagant stock of heels in different colors and shapes and with different heights. In this regard, not only are financially insecure wearers denied ownership of the extravagant stock of heels, but wears disadvantaged in terms of selection capability also have to take much time to find a match and thus get frustrated. Last but not least, the extravagant stock of heels takes up much space. As a result, the competitiveness of the conventional heel structure with an adjustable height deteriorates because of the aforesaid drawbacks thereof.

Considering the aforesaid drawbacks of the conventional heel structure with an adjustable height, the inventor of the present disclosure devises a novel, improved heel structure with an adjustable height.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The primary objective of the present disclosure is to provide a heel structure with an adjustable height. The heel structure comprises a retractable element and a support rod which are coupled to a shoe body. A mere rotation of an adjustment rod is enough to drive the retractable element to fold upward or unfold downward and thereby change the height of the shoe body instantly. The heel structure enables users to dispense with the hassle of carrying heels to change and buying numerous heels in different shapes, so as to render usage flexible, easy, quick and save the time otherwise taken to choose and find a match to a heel.

The secondary objective of the present disclosure is to provide a heel structure with an adjustable height. The heel structure comprises a support rod and a retractable element which are coupled to a shoe body integrally, thereby dispensing with the need to buy and store heels. Hence, users save the costs of buying heels, save the time otherwise taken to choose and find a match to a heel, and can adjust the height of the shoe body instantly and quickly as needed and in accordance with a scenario. Therefore, usage of the heel structure in whatever scenario is comprehensive, flexible, and not subjected to any limitations. Furthermore, users need not buy heels and accessories which match each other; hence, the heel structure is cost-effective and highly competitive.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a heel structure with an adjustable height according to the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of a support rod and an adjustment rod according to the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the heel structure fully folded and short-heeled according to the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view about usage of the heel structure shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the heel structure unfolded downward and medium-heeled according to the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a schematic view about usage of the heel structure shown in FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the heel structure fully unfolded and high-heeled according to the present disclosure.

FIG. 8 is a schematic view about usage of the heel structure shown in FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a positioning leaf spring of the present disclosure.

FIG. 10 is a schematic view of the positioning leaf spring fitted in the support rod according to the present disclosure.

FIG. 11 is a schematic view of an engaging bump of an adjustment rod, which is rotatably separated from an engaging groove of the support rod to resilient press against the positioning leaf spring according to the present disclosure.

FIG. 12 is a schematic view of the engaging bump of the adjustment rod, which is rotatably moved to a through hole of the support rod to resilient press against the positioning leaf spring according to the present disclosure.

FIG. 13 is a schematic view of a damping element fitted in the engaging groove of the support rod to resiliently press against the engaging bump according to the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

To enable persons skilled in the art to understand the structural features and achievable advantages of the present disclosure, the optimal state of the usage of a heel structure with an adjustable height according to the present disclosure is depicted by the diagrams and described below.

Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the present disclosure provides a heel structure with an adjustable height, comprising a support rod 10, an adjustment rod 20 and a retractable element 30. A plane 11 is disposed on the top surface of the support rod 10. A pipe-shaped through hole 12 is disposed in the support rod 10 to penetrate the support rod 10. Two tracks 13 are symmetrically disposed on two sides of the inner wall of the through hole 12, respectively. The two tracks 13 are opposite spaced-apart engaging grooves 14. The engaging grooves 14 are in communication with the tracks 13 and run horizontally. One end of each engaging groove 14 of the support rod 10 concavely defines an engaging stopping region 15. The adjustment rod 20 is post-shaped to therefore penetrate the through hole 12 of the support rod 10 and undergo upward and downward displacement. Engaging bumps 21 are disposed symmetrically on two sides above the adjustment rod 20, respectively. The engaging bumps 21 are balls capable of retraction and bouncing and thus are engagingly received in the tracks 13 of the support rod 10. The tracks 13 abut against the engaging bumps 21 such that the engaging bumps 21 retract to therefore attain a function of resilient pressing and positioning. The retractable element 30 is rotated such that circular pipes 31 of different diameters decreasing downward and stepwise are fitted together so as to be folded and unfolded. A hollow-core mounting region 32 is defined centrally at the circular pipes 31. A fitting hole 33 of a small diameter is disposed at the lowest one of the circular pipes 31 and fixedly disposed on the outer wall of the bottom end of the adjustment rod 20.

Referring to FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, the upward sliding of the engaging bumps 21 of the adjustment rod 10 along the track 13 of the support rod 10 causes the movement of the fitting hole 33 of the retractable element 30; hence, the circular pipes 33 retract successively, starting from the lowest one, to reach the engaging bumps 21 and then slide to the highest one of the engaging grooves 14. Afterward, the adjustment rod 20 is rotated in the direction of the engaging grooves 14 until the engaging bumps 21 end up in the engaging stopping region 15 such that the engaging bumps 21 are not subjected to compression and thus are able to bounce and engagingly pressed within the engaging stopping region 15 for positioning; at this point in time, the retractable element 30 is fully folded in response to the displacement of the adjustment rod 20 such that a shoe body A can be positioned in the short-heeled state.

Referring to FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, when the adjustment rod 20 is rotated toward the track 13 of the support rod 10 such that the engaging bumps 21 escape from the engaging stopping region 15 and thus resiliently retract, so as to rotatably move along the engaging groove 14 and thereby reach the track 13. Afterward, when the engaging bumps 21 of the adjustment rod 20 move downward along the through hole 12 and the track 13 to reach the intermediately-positioned engaging groove 14, the adjustment rod 20 is rotated in the direction of the intermediately-positioned engaging groove 14 until the engaging bumps 21 end up in the engaging stopping region 15 such that the engaging bumps 21 are not subjected to compression and thus are able to bounce and engagingly pressed within the engaging stopping region 15 for positioning; at this point in time, the retractable element 30 is unfolded as soon as the adjustment rod 20 moves downward to the intermediately-positioned engaging groove 14, so as to easily change the height of the heel and thereby keep the shoe body A in the medium-heeled state.

Referring to FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, when the adjustment rod 20 is rotated toward the track 13 of the support rod 10 such that the engaging bumps 21 escape from the engaging stopping region 15 and thus resiliently retract, so as to rotatably move along the intermediately-positioned engaging groove 14 and thereby reach the track 13. Then, when the engaging bumps 21 of the adjustment rod 20 move downward along the through hole 12 and the track 13 to reach the lowest one of the engaging grooves 14, the adjustment rod 20 is rotated in the direction of the lowest one of the engaging grooves 14 until the engaging bumps 21 end up in the engaging stopping region 15 such that the engaging bumps 21 are not subjected to compression and thus are able to bounce and engagingly pressed within the engaging stopping region 15 for positioning; at this point in time, the retractable element 30 is fully unfolded as soon as the adjustment rod 20 moves downward to the lowest one of the engaging groove 14, so as to easily and quickly cause the shoe body A to be in the high-heeled state.

The heel structure comprises the retractable element 30 and the support rod 10 which are coupled to the shoe body A. A mere rotation of the adjustment rod 20 is enough to drive the retractable element 30 to change the height of the shoe body A. The heel structure enables users to dispense with the hassle of carrying heels to change into and buying numerous heels in different shapes, so as to render usage easy, instant, convenient and flexible in terms of variations. The heel structure and the shoe body A are coupled together integrally, thereby dispensing with the need to buy and store heels. Hence, users save the costs of buying heels and save the time otherwise taken to choose and find a match to a heel. Therefore, the heel structure is cost-effective and highly competitive.

Referring to FIG. 9 and FIG. 10, a positioning leaf spring 40 made of metal or plastic is disposed in the support rod 10. A slot 16 is perpendicularly disposed at the junction of the inner wall of the track 13 and each engaging groove 14. An upper guiding surface 41 and a lower guiding surface 41′, which are concavely curved, are disposed on two sides of the positioning leaf spring 40, respectively. The two guiding surfaces 41 are connected by a link zone 42 therebetween. A sheet-shaped tongue 43 is perpendicularly disposed at the center of the link zone 42 from below so as to be engaged with and fixed to the slot 16 of the support rod 10 such that the link zone 42 of the positioning leaf spring 40 is oblique. The upper guiding surface 41 and the lower guiding surface 41′ are disposed in the engaging groove 14 and on the inner wall at the lower portion of the support rod 10, respectively. When the engaging bumps 21 of the adjustment rod 20 are in the engaging groove 14, the upper guiding surface 41 can perform a blocking function and thus prevents the engaging bumps 21 from escaping from the engaging groove 14, so as to augment positioning. When the adjustment rod 20 is rotated, the engaging bumps 21 generate a rotating force which acts along the concave surface of the upper guiding surface 41 (shown in FIG. 11) to resiliently press on the positioning leaf spring 40 and thus slide along the link zone 42 to reach the lower guiding surface 41′ (shown in FIG. 12), and in consequence the engaging bumps 21 are rotatably separated from the engaging groove 14 and end up in the track 13 so as to adjust heel height. When the engaging bumps 21 of the adjustment rod 20 are rotated upward along the track 13 of the support rod 10, the engaging bumps 21 exert a rotating force on the lower guiding surface 41′ to resiliently press on the positioning leaf spring 40 and thus slide along the link zone 42 to rotatably move and keep pressing on the upper guiding surface 41 and sliding into the engaging groove 14 so as to attain positioning. A resilient damping element 50 is disposed on the upper wall of the engaging groove 14 to resiliently press against the engaging bumps 21 such that the support rod 10 is subjected to a force while the user is walking; meanwhile, the engaging bumps 21 generate a buffer resilient force conducive to alleviation of discomfort otherwise arising from the direct contact between the heel and the ground. Therefore, the heel structure with an adjustable height according to the present disclosure attains optimal usage.

In conclusion, the present disclosure has high industrial applicability and non-obviousness. Furthermore, the present disclosure has never been published and thus has novelty.

The present disclosure is disclosed above by preferred embodiments, but the claimed scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Equivalent changes and modifications can be made to the preferred embodiments by referring to the claims of the present disclosure and still fall within the claimed scope of the present disclosure.

LABELS AND LEGENDS

-   10 support rod -   11 plane -   12 through hole -   13 track -   14 groove -   15 engaging stopping region -   16 slot -   20 adjustment rod -   21 engaging bump -   30 retractable element -   31 circular pipe -   32 mounting region -   33 fitting hole -   40 positioning leaf spring -   41 upper guiding surface -   41′ lower guiding surface -   42 link zone -   43 tongue -   50 damping element -   A shoe body 

What is claimed is:
 1. A heel structure with an adjustable height, comprising: a support rod penetrated by a pipe-shaped through hole, wherein tracks and engaging grooves are disposed on an inner wall of the through hole in such a manner that the engaging grooves are in communication with the tracks and run horizontally, a retractable element; and an adjustment rod being post-shaped to therefore penetrate the through hole of the support rod and undergo upward and downward displacement, wherein resilient engaging bumps are disposed above the adjustment rod and thus resiliently pressed within the tracks of the support rod, the tracks abut against the engaging bumps such that the engaging bumps retract to therefore attain a function of resilient pressing and positioning, wherein the retractable element is rotated such that circular pipes of different diameters decreasing downward and stepwise are fitted together so as to be folded and unfolded, a hollow-core mounting region is defined centrally at the circular pipes, and a fitting hole of a small diameter is disposed at a lowest one of the circular pipes and fixedly disposed on an outer wall of a bottom end of the adjustment rod, wherein the retractable element and the support rod are coupled to a shoe body, and a mere rotation of the adjustment rod is enough to drive the retractable element to change a height of the shoe body, so as to render usage easy, instant, convenient and flexible in terms of variations.
 2. The heel structure with an adjustable height according to claim 1, wherein a plane is disposed on a top surface of the support rod.
 3. The heel structure with an adjustable height according to claim 1, wherein the tracks are symmetrically disposed on two sides of the inner wall of the through hole, respectively, and the engaging grooves are opposite the tracks.
 4. The heel structure with an adjustable height according to claim 1, wherein an end of each said engaging groove of the support rod concavely defines an engaging stopping region in which the engaging bumps of the adjustment rod are resiliently engaged and positioned.
 5. The heel structure with an adjustable height according to claim 1, wherein the engaging bumps of the adjustment rod are symmetrically positioned.
 6. The heel structure with an adjustable height according to claim 1, wherein the engaging bumps of the adjustment rod are balls capable of retraction and bouncing.
 7. The heel structure with an adjustable height according to claim 1, wherein a resilient damping element is disposed on an upper wall of each said engaging groove of the support rod to resiliently press against the engaging bumps.
 8. The heel structure with an adjustable height according to claim 1, wherein a positioning leaf spring is disposed inside the support rod, a slot is disposed at a junction of an inner wall of each said track and a corresponding one of the engaging grooves, an upper guiding surface and a lower guiding surface, which are concavely curved, are disposed on two sides of the positioning leaf spring, respectively, and connected by a link zone therebetween, a tongue is disposed at a center of the link zone from below so as to be engaged with and fixed to the slot such that the link zone is oblique, the upper guiding surface and the lower guiding surface are disposed in each said engaging groove and on an inner wall at a lower portion of the support rod, respectively.
 9. The heel structure with an adjustable height according to claim 8, wherein the positioning leaf spring is made of metal or plastic. 